News Focus
- Nine matches ended in draws, the highest proportion in any opening round of a World Cup.
- Top teams like Spain and Uruguay dominated the ball but created poor-quality chances from long distance.
- Iran fielded the second-oldest starting line-up in World Cup history at 31.8 years.
- Germany’s starting eleven was valued at €559.4 million more than their opponents Curaçao.
- African nations showed defensive strength, with Algeria limiting Argentina to just twelve penalty-area touches.
All forty-eight teams have now played their first match at the 2026 World Cup. The opening round produced plenty of drama, but the statistics reveal stories that the scorelines alone cannot tell.
Mexico moved the ball up the pitch slower than any other side. They could take their time because South Africa posed almost no threat. Meanwhile, the Czech Republic showed the power of set pieces. Vladimír Coufal, formerly of West Ham United, launched a long throw-in that Ladislav Krejčí, a Wolves centre-back, headed into the net. Bosnia and Herzegovina also relied heavily on dead-ball situations, taking seven of their eight shots against Canada from set pieces.
Several favourites failed to win despite controlling possession. Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey and Uruguay topped the charts for ball control and passing accuracy in the final third. However, they wasted their dominance with weak efforts from distance. Spain averaged only 0.08 expected goals per shot, while Turkey managed just 0.04. These figures are worse than Burnley and Wolves managed in the recent Premier League season.
The so-called smaller nations have shown impressive defensive organisation. Algeria restricted the defending champions Argentina to only twelve touches in the opposition penalty area. Morocco troubled Brazil’s midfield, though Carlo Ancelotti’s half-time changes stopped them from having a single shot between the break and the 98th minute.
Scotland and Haiti produced an even contest. Both sides finished with exactly 1.05 expected goals, though Scotland found the net once. Sweden secured a big win, yet they exceeded their expected goals total by 3.67 – the largest overperformance of the round. This did not save Tunisia’s coach Sabri Lamouchi, who lost his job immediately after their match.
Germany destroyed Curaçao seven goals to one. The transfer value of the German starting eleven was nearly half a billion euros higher than their opponents. France recovered from a slow start against Senegal to score three times, creating two clear-cut chances through superb passes from Michael Olise and Adrien Rabiot in just sixteen minutes.
In the final minutes of other matches, late goals decided results. Ecuador struck the woodwork three times against Côte d’Ivoire, while Panama missed two clear opportunities to score against Ghana. Both lost to last-minute strikes from Amad Diallo and Caleb Yirenkyi.
Iran’s squad showed that age is just a number. Their line-up was the second-oldest ever at a World Cup, yet they played an exciting match against New Zealand. Chris Wood assisted Elijah Just for two goals, making them the only partnership to combine for a brace in the opening round.
England created more big chances than anyone else, with Harry Kane moving up the all-time scoring charts. However, Erling Haaland of Norway leads the individual expected goals chart after taking advantage of a goalkeeping error against Iraq. Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku also made a huge impact from the bench, forcing an own goal within minutes of entering the field against Egypt.
The numbers suggest this tournament will remain unpredictable. With so many draws and narrow wins, the expanded format is already producing tight contests.